Hyperemesis Support

[LucindaE]

I hope everyone suffering from the Horrors of Hyperemesis will find this thread useful as a source of support and information.
There's no TMI on here - can't be by definition - and nobody should feel ashamed of moaning as much as they feel the need to.
MOH's wonderful website is full of useful information on this illness:
sites.google.com/site/pregnancysicknesssos
Another invaluable website is:
www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk
If you need help in obtaining medication, phone them on:
024 7638 2020
Lastly, the NICE guidelines on treatment are useful:
cks.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy
I would like to thank everyone who has given such invaluable support and advice on this and on previous threads.
It has been suggested that I add some practical tooth cleaning advice: a lot of sufferers find using a child's small toothbrush and strawberry toothpaste far less nauseating.
On my image of a pink castle: that is an image I use because when I was little, my family had a Snakes and Ladders board with an image on the last square of a pink castle in the clouds. As Hyperemesis is so like a grotesque version of Snakes and Ladders - eat a meal, go up a ladder, first thing in the morning bile run, down a snake - I have used the image of that pink castle on the last square of that Snakes and Ladders board as a metaphor for the happy end of Hyperemesis.
Remember when you are at your worst, 'This Too Shall Pass'. It really will.
So many women on this thread have thought they couldn't get through this, but they did.

boulevardofbrokendreams A good day or so is usually a sign of more to come, after all. I am happy to hear that.

Hi! Is it ok if I join... I really feel like I need some support. Having an awful day.
I’m currently 7 weeks pregnant, today has been my worst day for sickness and I have been unable to eat or drink/keep anything done. I have been vomiting around 10 days. I went to the gp about 5 days ago and was given stemitil.
This is my second baby, with DS1 I had terrible HG and was in and out of hospital none stop on drips and lost over 3 stone in weight over the first 12 weeks.
Up until today I have felt like I’ve had things under control as I’m so scared to end up in hospital and leaving DS1 at home. But as we all know we aren’t really in control of Hg and it’s wel and truely taking hold today.
I plan on calling the GP on Monday to try cyclizine.

Hello all. God I can't tell you the difference in me after a week of steroids. I still have most food aversions so I'm on very limited food BUT I haven't felt or been sick once. It's worth the insomnia, the inevitable weight gain and the moon face to feel somewhat myself. I'm still on 3 anti emetics too but I'm hoping to cut them back.

Sending strength to everyone suffering. You have survived another day!

Hi @jomum2020 - so sorry to hear you are hitting another HG pregnancy. I’m also on my second & it really is difficult with a child as well! Bar all the usual medical advice, I’d really recommend getting a support network in place. I ended up in hospital 3 times & had to just get on with it on my own. My OH stayed at home with my daughter. My parents have helped a huge amount with childcare support over the weeks as well. I have felt so horribly guilty at times when I couldn’t play or go out with DD & Daddy. But she’s formed quite a partnership with her Dad and it’s lovely to see! And also I think will be helpful when baby comes along! Things have improved a bit since 20 weeks-ish & my daughter seems completely unaffected by the whole thing!

Hope you are OK, stemitil is a slightly stronger drug than cyclizine so if that’s not working, I’d ask for a stronger one! Unless you know cyclizine worked well last time?

@justtheonethen iv steroids were my saving grace along with iv ondansatron and tablet metoclopromide. I was on iv steroids for 1 week then tablet steroids 3 weeks as soon as I stopped them I immediately started vomiting again so had another week of iv steroids and then 3 weeks pill steroids and then I was ok on just tablet ondansatron and metoclopromide.
I've managed to cut 3 times a day of meds to just 1 in the morning at nearly 28 weeks so huge progress.

@abbs1 I have a 7 week plan to taper off the steroids but if I start vomiting again I need to go back up to the previous dose. Last time I was on them until birth. Hoping not to be this time.

That is huge progress- I will be happy if I get down to once a day.

And totally agree the IVs give me enough of a boost to start swallowing tablets again.

Thanks fr the lovely welcome. Had a really bad day yesterday and kept nothing down but today has been so much better, I’ve not vomited once and can’t quite believe it. Manage to eat some small amounts of food too. Hoping this is progress.

Hope everyone else is doing well too.

@justtheonethen oh gosh sounds like you've had it even worse than me. HG is so tough. This is my first pregnancy after losing my first baby around 6-8 weeks so going through HG has really taken its toll. I thought I was gonna be stuck on steroids all pregnancy as well as ondansatron and metoclopromide but to be only now on metoclopromide once a day I feel I've finally turned a corner after what feels like years of being and feeling sick. I've got a growth scan next week to check everything is going ok due to how poorly I've been.

@abbs1 I really hope this is the turning point for you and your scan goes well

Hope everyone is having a slightly better day today. LucindaE thanks for keeping cheering us all on

@OlivejuiceU2 - glad to hear you had a better day yesterday

I had my scan today - baby (singular, thank god!) was looking good, no issues, measuring 10 weeks on the dot. Given me a little mental boost :)

That’s great news @boulevardofbrokendreams

Welcome to Jomum2020. Sorry you are suffering. You have had great advice already. As you are a veteran, you don't need my spiel about 'do you find flat full sugar coke, ice lollies and the juice of tinned fruit any good?' and 'have you got kesostix, as while not the best measure of dehydration hospitals do take them seriously?'. Three stone is an alarming amount ofweight to lose. That sounds awful about being in and out all the time. What meds did they try? Did the symptoms improve at any point? A good idea about getting other meds if Stemetil isn't helping. Did Cyclizine help you last time? In severe cases, doctors often combine it with other meds, sometimes Ondansetron. Did you find an anti acid helped last time? I so admire sufferers who cope with this and a toddler.
Justtheonethen I am so glad that steriods are making a big difference.
Bol87 I an glad that things are a lot better. That is a lovely encouraging message for Jomum2020 about the advantages of an LO bondng with a father.
OlivejuiceU2 Happy news about a good day on Saturday. Long may it continue!
abbs1 It is very nerve wracking, a pregnancy after an MC. You can't relax. All luck for your scan. Congratulations on reducing meds.
Boulevardofbrokendreams That is happy news.
Whatsnext11 Thank you. I am glad my cheering on is encouraging, anyway. How are things?
!Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

Sorry haven't been around over Christmas had a break from my phone/the internet for a while - ended up in the EPU again yesterday. Kept waking up at 3am to be sick once I was sick once the whole day was basically a write-off.

Got a prochlorperzine (sp) injection and finally a prescription for ordansetron 11 weeks now.
I still feel incredibly nauseous even with the drugs - gagging and dry heaving a bit but not all the time. Haven't been sick yet today.

Extremely tired.

Hi @HairsprayBabe hope things pick up for you soon. The injections took a long tine to work for me (3 injections in total) before I noticed a difference so hopefully better for you.

I’ve not been sick yet today either, honestly just having a break from it is such a relief

HairsprayBabe Poor you. No wonder you are tired. I do hope the Ondansetron helps. Have they written a prescription for a laxative, as frankly, you will need one? Don't let the constipation go for too long if your bowels seize up. It is worth trying an anti acid for the nausea, too, as it helps with some.
OlivejuiceU2 Excellent advice. I am glad you have had a respite!
I hope everyone is coping today.

It's very quiet on here at the moment. There was a vet with a toddler suffering - Court1994. I remember noting that as my DD is one and I know how hard they have to work and how metiiculously - forcing herself into work and b/f ing too. We haven't heard from here in a few weeks, nor a few others like Areall thenamestaken. I am quite concerned.

Yes I was thinking it hadn't moved on much from when I last posted.

I have had a bit of a wobble today got my bloods back from Drs and they want me to have a second lot done in Feb as they are concerned with my thyroid levels I haven't been told if they are too high or too low but I know either can mean development problems for baby, deafness, premature birth and even still birth.
I have been told I need to wait till Feb for the second lot of tests so now I am panicking as well as feeling crap.

Ordansetron is really helping though - I was sick this morning once before I managed to take my dose and then once I had it I have been a bit heave-y for most of the day and nauseous but nothing else has come up. It is the first time in two months I have eaten more than a crisp sandwich or a jacket potato. So I guess that is a good thing at least.

Hurray for ondansetron! Def a life saver for me! Hope everyone is OK!

There are a few sickness posts floating around on the main board at the mo, I think maybe people are missing this one! I’m getting cross at all the rubbish GP’s refusing to give people meds!

Hi everyone, I'm ok ish but finding my eating has gone a bit backwards, the tablets were meaning I could eat most things but had a few off days recently. I heard some struggle at 20 weeks - I'm nearly there - as there's a hormone increase at that time? Feeling more tired again too.

Hairspray babe that's so good that you were able to eat a little, hope the meds continue to help. I've no experience with the thyroid thing, but Feb sounds a long time to wait. I am a worrier so would struggle with that too.

Boulavard that's lovely that you had a positive scan. I relaxed so much more after 12 week scan, good to know things were ok.

Melleebacca thinking of you, hope you are coping.

Can't keep up with everyone but hope everyone is ok.

Hello all. Hope people are quiet as they are coping.

@Bol87 me too!

@HairsprayBabe that's rubbish, why do you have to wait so long?

@Whatnext11 I definitely had a relapse at around then last time. Hope it passes.

I wonder if I can have some advice. I am feeling really good on the steroids/ondansetron/metoclopromide/cyclizine combo but I still can only eat white bread and mild cheese. And only if they are a sandwich. I'm not complaining too much obviously as I'm not being sick and I barely feel nauseous but I wondered if there was any way to get rid of my massive food aversions? I don't know if that's just a normal pregnancy thing or if I am subconsciously scared to eat something that isn't "safe". It's getting very boring though having cheese sandwiches for every meal

Justtheonethen I really do understand, it's do hard to explain this to people! I found I had to think about eating something mentally, and see if I could think about it being ok. So I might think can I manage to eat some crackers and cheese, and take a few hours to feel ok about it. That made it more likely to be ok. Not sure if that makes any sense!
I'd maybe try something very similar to a cheese sandwich - maybe toast, a cracker and cheese, cheese spread sandwich and see how it goes?

Good morning ladies!
Hope everyone is doing ok!

Sorry it’s taken me a while to respond, your advice was great, it’s good to just have somewhere to chat where the people understand.

I ended up in hospital on a drip that’s why the delay in my reply. I’m back home but already starting to feel worse. I’m now taking stemitil with cyclizine 4 hours later so I don’t have as long to wait between doses. I was given ondandatron last time but my hospital don’t reallt like giving it out before 12 weeks... :(
I’m working on the theory this is a a different pregnancy so I’m going to follow their advice and try this and see how it helps. I have an early scan on Friday so that’s something to aim for / look forward too.
Really starting to struggle with my toddler... his grannies have helped out loads but it’s just a struggle all the time. OH works a lot in his own business so he isn’t home much.

Hello can I join ? I have HG again and am suffering
Have an appointment at epu and going to ask for ondansetron again I needed it till
The end of my last pregnancy it’s the only thing that worked
Previously I had tried cyclizine and prochlorperazine, vitamin b6 and buccastem nothing else worked